Glenbard W. takes consolation in series win

Glenbard West's baseball team would be thrilled taking two of three from every West Suburban Silver team.

That being said, the Hilltoppers wouldn't mind a do-over of Monday's 8-4 loss to Hinsdale Central.

While the Red Devils (7-10, 4-5) scored 7 runs on 11 baserunners in the first three innings, Glenbard West (10-4, 5-1) couldn't scratch a run despite putting nine runners on base during that same span of game.

"Our offensive approach all day wasn't good," said Glenbard West coach Andy Schultz. "Saturday was great. Taking two from them was awesome. We don't like losing today but, big picture, taking two out of three is nice."

The Hilltoppers pushed across 3 runs in the bottom of the seventh to make it closer, but Hinsdale Central held on for a nice bounce-back win after an especially tough Saturday. Not only did the Red Devils suffer a doubleheader sweep at the hands of Glenbard West, they also lost Louisville-bound junior center fielder Chris Botsoe for the season after he was hit in the eye with a pitch.

Botsoe's eye was still swollen on Monday and he'll require surgery to repair the damage. Botsoe's vision was already much-improved, though, and he said he should be ready to play in the summer.

"After what happened Saturday with Botsoe, I think a lot of the guys responded in a positive way," said Hinsdale Central coach Jason Ziemer. "They were a little more intense and focused in the batter's box and they came out hacking. It was good to see."

Hinsdale Central exploded for 4 runs in the first inning, sparked by RBI doubles from Ryan Haff and Max Peters and a run-scoring single by Trenton Barnett. The Red Devils tacked on 3 more runs over the next two innings thanks to RBI doubles from Matt Muellner and Barnett in addition to Ben Doyle's sacrifice fly.

Charlie Banke gutted through 4 innings to win on the mound. Dan Teska worked the final 3 innings for the save. Luke Domask, Billy Becker and Trevor Hamilton drove in runs for the Hilltoppers to make a game of it late, but Haff added a solo homer to build the Red Devils' lead to 8-1 heading to the bottom of the seventh.

"This was huge," Haff said. "What marks a great team is how you respond after a bad day. We weren't clicking on all cylinders on Saturday, and I think it was a huge statement to bounce back today."

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